O Macbeth
by sirmaconravenwood
Summary: Rick kills Shane, rather violently. {Tag to Better Angels, Rick/Shane slash}


_**Authors Note: This is un-beta'd. A drabble written for The Walking dead, Rick and Shane pairing of course ;) Read or Review…or do both if wanted! Constructive criticism is welcomed! **_

Rick walked in silence with Shane a few steps in tow, behind him. They were looking for Randall, who'd gone missing. So Shane had said.

Rick doubted him…was it even right to do so? Shane was his family, his husband. Yet all the trust he had for him, was gone. It was replaced by a constant…always on his feet, turning of his head to see where Shane was, what he was doing. What he was planning. It wasn't right.

He stopped in his tracks as he heard Shane raise his hands, Rick knew what was going to happen. There was no way their marriage could've been able to withstand this hell. He closed his eyes and shook his head, "Think they're gonna buy whatever…bullshit story you cooked up Shane?" He turned to face his husband. Only…this wasn't his husband. This wasn't his Shane…not anymore. This was someone different, someone power hungry, someone selfish. Shane wasn't psychotic, like the others were saying. He was lost. Forever. They wouldn't buy a man who couldn't hold it together…his story that Rick got bit, and he had to put him down. They knew Rick…and they knew Shane. They knew _this_ Shane.

"Y'know…that prisoner…he…he shot ya down…wanted to kill em'" Shane managed between disgruntled breaths, "It ain't gonna be easy..." Shane's gun had risen again, aiming at Rick's face.

"Why. Why now? Thought we worked this all out." How could of he been so stupid to believe that? That their broken marriage could be repaired. God if only he knew how the hell it went to shit in the first place. A few fist pumps, or bloody noses, bruised bones could fix this, what was done could not be unbroken.

"God we…tried to kill each other, man." Shane let out with a huff, and laughed, "Gonna…we gonna ride off into the sunset together?" The smile, the laugh Rick had fallen in love with was gone, his Shane was gone, "Y'gonna kill me. In cold blood?"

"I know you Shane," That he did, better than anyone, Shane could never do something like this, not to him…he might threaten, push his buttons. But that was Shane; always like to push someone to their brink. He had learned to deal with it many times…though tonight, this was different. Here before him, wasn't the Shane who liked to push his buttons for fun, or cause he was bored, this was a man who had lost it, lost the sense of who he was, no matter what, killing Rick wouldn't make everything peachy for Shane, he'd only descend even further into the abyss he had dug himself into, "You won't be able to live with this."

That only seemed to piss Shane off, even more. He'd never see him act like this, Rick wouldn't admit it, but it terrified him.

"The hell you know what I can live with! Ain't got no idea what I can live with, what I live with! We talkin' bout what I can do Rick…how bout what you can do huh? What can you do?!" There was a fiery look in Shane's eyes, something that had never been there before. "Here I am…come on man, raise your gun!"

The temptation was so sweet…to have this all be done with, but this…no. Rick loved Shane, more than anything. He was the world to him, just like Carl, "No. No, I will not." He wasn't going to end things like this, what kind of man would he be?

"Hah…wha…what happened Rick? Thought you weren't the good guy anymore! Ain't that what you said?!" Shane's voice was gruff, crumbling, as if he was breaking down, with no hopes of picking himself back up…felt like he was askin' for Rick to end this. To end him, "Ain't that what you said? Even right here…right now…you ain't gonna fight for it?" Shane's gun was still pointed at his head; it was only a matter of time before Rick's brains were splattered over the cold hard ground. He could fix this. He could make Shane better…repair their marriage, have something that once was. They could be a family again, for Carl…_I'm a better father than you Rick…Raise your gun!_

"Gonna have to kill an unarmed man." He was risking everything. Carl, the group, Shane's broken down sanity. He stood in a stance, mainly to calm Shane down, let him know he wasn't going to do anything to hurt him. Slowly, he moved his right hand to pull his gun out of his holster, raising it up, pistol pointing towards him, to hand it to Shane, "Enough of this Shane. There is still a way back from this…nothing has happened here," Rick could let this be forgotten, never to be spoken of. He was a good man. "We gonna lay down our guns…gonna walk back to the farm Shane…together, back to Carl," Rick felt a little pang of happiness, seeing the half attempted smile the other man had forced himself to make. But a sudden realization hit him. This wasn't his Shane anymore, that man had died a while ago. God only knows when. There was no choice for Rick, no choice but to kill him. It was either kill, or be killed. "We can put this behind us." He handed the gun to Shane, whilst hiding the knife behind his back; he'd never see it coming. He couldn't be prepared. Rick didn't want him to.

With all the strength he could muster up, the courage and the will that he was doing the right thing…he was…wasn't he? He had to stop asking himself questions. He sucked in a deep breath and thrust the knife into his heart with a twist. He grabbed the back of Shane's neck and with a light squeeze, laid him on the ground, "God damn you for makin' me do this Shane! Damn you!" He was kneeled beside Shane, as the man below him weakly…desperately tried to grasp onto Rick, with everything he had. _"This was you! Not me! You did this to us!" _Rick couldn't blame himself for their broken marriage, it wasn't his fault. He had done right, done right by Shane, sacrificed what he could for him. Gave him all his love. But somewhere along the line, it wasn't enough for the man he had once loved. That man wanted to be in Rick's position, wanted people to look up to him. Only Rick looked up to Shane like that. Only Rick loved Shane like that,_ "This was you! Not me!" _Shane's bloodied hand came out to caress the side of Shane's face as he coughed up blood, his dead heart failing to pump to his veins. The tears fell merciless down Rick's unshaven cheek, as he leaned forward grabbing Shane's hand, squeezing it as tight as he could. "_Not me!"_


End file.
